Fantastic Holiday

I would like to thank all the people who take the time to post on these message boards. I did a lot of research prior to our holiday and it was well worth it.

I will try and only give some information that may not be the regular. As well as, in my humble opinion. I will provide more detailed reviews in the port forums. We are a couple in our late 40's from Ontario, Canada. We have cruised before but usually we do mexico, cuba, florida, and long ago dominican. We like to do excursions on our own.

Cabin: balcony 7122. Starboard. We were on the best side for all the ports, close to elevators and front of the ship activities. Very quite. Did not hear anything from other cabins.

Ship info that I could highlight. Very quick check in. Our balcony room was ready and we headed for lunch at the buffet. It was absolutely not crazy busy as others posted. We had no problem getting a table or getting food. The buffet is spread out and multiple stations of the same items More
are available.

We returned to our room for the sailaway. We preordered a bottle of vodka, that was supposed to be in the room when we arrived. I called down and they said it would arrive by 6. We went for dinner that night at the buffet (so tired) and to bed early. FYI when we returned the next day from port our bottle was still not there. I had to call again and finally later that night we got it. They did not seem to concerned it had not arrived even though it was supposed to be in the room at check in. So no biggy but I wanted to mention it just in case it happens to you.

We purchased a cellar masters card for $100. You then get $20 extra. IMHO we would not do it again. Found the less expensive wine in the dining room just as good. It seems like a waste of space and money for celebrity. Not too many people were even in there or used the service.

Food:

Dining room service was outstanding. Really, from the professionalism to time for service. Just amazing. You ordered and before you knew it you were served. The waiters really were friendly and there to help with what ever you needed. Food was awesome. The last formal night has lobster on the menu. Feel free to order 2 tails if you wish. Just delicious. So, you know. You can have as many appetizers, deserts ect. I like appetizers verse desert. But that is just me. You can even order room service off of the dining room menu. You just have to ask your cabin steward for the menu. We did this 2 nights. Just so tired from the day. We did the Buffet for breakfast and Cafe al Bacio for treats. Excellent.

Did the culinary tour. Again IMHO not worth it. I did the same tour on Holland american and it was way more informative. Here you get a number when you enter the dining room. They have a slide show going while you wait for your group number. I waited for 1 hour and the tour last less than 10 minutes.

We also went to one of the speakers on ancient greece. Sorry but another bust. Maybe, 20 people there.

Service: In general it was outstanding. Always a smile and hello. Our cabin steward was very nice and helpful. What I really liked was how the staff interacted with each other. They greeted each other and got along. This was nice to see.

Entertainment: Well, IMHO it was lacking. We found the best was the ensemble lounge (guitar and jazz). Micheals was a great bar with no entertainment. Hardly anyone was there. It could have used a classic rock acoustic guitar player. That would have been awesome. We did not care for the shows either. Sorry, for those who liked them. Samsaya trio was not good.

Zumba was fun. I just did it in my bathing suit. Some women waited in the heat in their workout outfits and running shoes. Was not needed. Not the same workout as home.

Did the casino tournaments and played a little. Did not see anyone win.

Ports were awesome. Nice timetable being off the entire day. No lineups getting on or off. I liked the cold towels and water when we returned. It was hot. More details on the ports of call in the port section. We did all DIY for the ports. No problems. Saved tons of money and was an adventure.

All in all. Excellent holiday aboard the celebrity reflection. Everything ran smooth. PS: I really liked the captain. From his reports to presence aboard the ship.....I felt in good hands. Less